Railroad track-car.



Patented Oct. 25,1910.

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R O T N E V m wrru asses M. L. JENKINS.

RAILROAD TRACK OAR. 41 21101111011 FILED 11:11.20, 1909.

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Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

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M. L. JENKINS.

RAILROAD TRACK GAR.

APPLICATION FILED rnszo, 1909.

973,664. Patented Oct. 25,1910.

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I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MERRILL L. JENKINS, OF HARVEY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO BUDA FOUNDRY & MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD TRACK-CAR.

Application filed February 20, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERRILL L. JENKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harvey, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in-Railroad Track-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to track cars and has for its primary objects; the provision of an improved arrangement of friction driving mechanism for the car; and the provision of an improved arrangement of seats and controlling levers whereby the operator may face forwardly when the car is reversed without interfering with the manipulation of the controlling levers. One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the car,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the driving mechanism of the car, the floor being removed,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the main driving shaft,

Figure 4; is a section on the line IVIV of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is an end view of the shifting means for the main operating shaft.

Referring first to the general arrangement of parts as indicated in Figure 1, 1 is the framework of the car; 2 are the wheels riding upon the rails 3; 4 and 5 are a pair of opposing seats seated upon the top of the frame; 6 is the driving motor mounted upon the underside of the frame; and 7, 8 and 9 are controlling levers located intermediate the seats 4 and 5 and accessible to the operator when seated upon either of such seats, 7 being the lever for throwing the operating mechanism into and out of driving connection, 8 being the lever for controlling the brake, and 9 being the lever for varying the speed of the drive and for reversing such drive.

The drivingconnections are clearly indicated in Figure 2 to which attention is directed. As here shown the motor 6 is provided with a friction driving disk 10 whose front face is adapted to be engaged by the periphery of the friction wheel 11 shiftably mounted upon the main driving shaft 12. The shaft 12 carries at one end the sprocket 13 from which the shaft 14: carrying the wheels 22 is driven by means of the sprocket-chain 15 and sprocket 16. The

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

Serial No. 479,025.

friction wheel 11 is shifted along the shaft 12 by means of the lever 17, which lever is .pivotally mounted at 18 and connected to the operating lever 8 by means of the connecting rod 19. By reference to Figure 3 it will be noted that the main driving shaft comprises the hollow casing 12 through which extends the shaft 20. The casing 12 is provided upon its interior at each end with the bushings 21 and 22, which bushings are ournaled upon the enlarged portions 23 and 24 of the shaft 20. The outer ends of the shaft 20 are keyed in eccentric blocks mounted in bearings 27 and 28 secured to the frame of the machine. The eccentric block 25 is provided with a handle 29 (Figure and the upper end of this handle is connected to the lower end of the operating handle 7 (Figure 2) by means of the connecting rod 30 provided with the yielding spring connection 31. By means of the arrangement above described the shaft 12 may be shifted away from the disk 10, thus disengaging the friction wheel 11 from said disk. The bearings 27 and 28 of the shaft may be adjusted as desired in order to tighten or loosen the chain 15 or to meet requirements of service. The shaft 12 is of course maintained in fixed position, parallel to the face of the disk 10 and in order to permit the shifting of the shaft to engage and disengage the friction wheel with the disk 10 the eccentrics 25 and 26 keyed to the ends of the shaft 20 must be rotated in the bearings 27 and 28 mounted upon the frame. It will be seen that the sprocket 13 is only slightly moved when the shaft 12 is shifted, so that any tightening or loosening of the chain occasioned by this shifting is negligible. The yielding connection 31- in the operating rod 30 is provided in order to reduce the shock occasioned by the engagement of the wheel 11 with the disk 10, and to insure the yielding engagement between the wheel disk.

The means whereby the end of the lever 17 is engaged with the wheel 11 is indicated in Figure 3, from which it will be seen that the wheel 11 is provided with a grooved hub portion 32 carrying the collar 33. This collar 33 is provided on its upper side with a transverse dove-tail engaging portion 34; carrying the block 35, with which the end of the lever 17 is pivotally engaged at 36. By means of this arrangement the necessary play between the collar 33 and the lever 17 is provided as the end of the lever moves along the shaft 12 in shifting the wheel 11. The shaft or casing 12 is provided with longitudinally extending ribs 37 as indicated in Figure 4, and the hub of the wheel 11 is grooved to fit the shaft, thus providing a sliding non-rotative engagement. The braking lever 9 is connected to the brake 38 by means of the rod 39 (Figure 2).

It will be seen that the arrangement of levers as indicated in Figure 1 is advantageous, in that they are accessible to the operator when seated upon either of the seats at and 5, so that the operator may face ahead at all times regardless of the direction in which the car is moving, it being merely necessary to shift from one seat to the other when the car is reversed.

hen the friction wheel 11 is out of engagement with the disk 10 the shaft 20 is in the position indicated in Figure 5, so that this shaft has to be moved upward as well as laterally in order to secure engagement between the wheel and disk. From this it follows that when the periphery of the wheel is driven downwardly from the disk as indicated diagrammatically by the dotted lines and arrows, the reaction between the wheel and disk tends to force the shaft 25 to the position indicated in Figure 5, and cause a disengagement of the disk and wheel. There is thus no tendency of the wheel and disk to work into closer engagement and dig or wear into each other. The arrangement has been found not only to increase the life of the disk and wheel, but also to greatly increase the efficiency of the drive.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following:

1. In combination in a track oar having a driving wheel, a frame, a motor, driving connections between the motor and driving wheel of the car, a pair of opposing seats on the frame, one of which faces forwardly and the other of which faces rearwardly, and a controlling lever for the driving connections located intermediate the seats and accessible from both thereof.

2. In combination in a track car having a driving wheel, a frame, motor driving means for the driving wheel of the car, a pair of opposing seats on the frame, one of which faces forwardly, and the other of which faces rearwardly, and a controlling member for the motor driving means intermediate the seats accessible from both thereof.

3. In combination in a track car having a driving wheel, a frame, a motor, driving connections between the motor and driving wheel of the car, a brake, a pair of opposing seats on the frame, one of which faces forwardly and the other of which faces rearwardly, and a brake controlling lever and a speed controlling lever located intermediate the seats and accessible from both thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunder signed my name in the presence of the subscribed witnesses.

MERRILL L. JENKINS.

WVitnesses PAUL CARPENTER, GEO. C. DAVISON. 

